Steve Rogers (Earth-2004)
Captain Steven Grant "Steve" Rogers was a World War II veteran, a founding member of the Avengers, and Earth's first known superhero. Rogers had suffered from numerous health problems, and upon America's entry into World War II, was rejected from military service despite several attempts to enlist. Rogers was the only recipient of the Super Soldier Serumdeveloped by Abraham Erskine under the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Determined to serve, Rogers ultimately volunteered for the Project Rebirth, which enhanced the frail Rogers' body to the peak of human physicality. After his sacrifice to stop Red Skull and HYDRA, Rogers was frozen in ice for decades, until his freedom, which led to him joining the Avengers. History Steve Rogers was born on July 4, 1918, to the nurse Sarah and the soldier Joseph Rogers in Brooklyn, New York City. Before Rogers had been born, his father Joseph was confirmed to have been killed in action in World War I. At a young age, he met Bucky Barnes who would eventually become his best friend. The frail Rogers suffered from asthma, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, high blood pressure, and heart trouble, among other illnesses, and thus was frequently attacked by bullies on the streets. However, his resilience, despite his small stature, inspired Barnes to come to his aid and fight off the bullies when he was needed, and they became good friends. Rogers would also attend the Major League Baseball's 1941season. In 1936, Rogers' mother died of tuberculosis. She was then buried next to her husband. Following the funeral, Rogers spoke to Bucky Barnes, who offered to have Rogers stay at his place and do errands to earn his keep, but Rogers declined, saying that he could get by on his own. Seeing Rogers struggling to find his house keys, Barnes revealed his secret key and told him that he did not have to because he was with him "to the end of the line," something Rogers would always keep to heart. Seeing the rise of Adolf Hitler and the horrors of World War II, Rogers became determined to enlist in the United States Armed Forces. While in New York in 1943, Rogers made another attempt to be enlisted, using a false enlistment card which claimed he was from Paramus. While waiting to be called up, Rogers read a newspaper with another recruit who claimed seeing the horror that was happening in France made he reconsider signing up, to which Rogers insisted he had not changed his mind. Upon getting to the desk, Rogers was asked about how his mother and father had died following the ending of World War I. Due to all his various health and physical issues, Rogers was rejected for service in the Armed Forces, despite his multiple attempts at several enlistment offices. However he had remained determined to fight alongside his friends and other men in World War II and would try to convince the doctors to at least give him a chance to fight, but to no avail. Having overheard Rogers' conversation with Bucky Barnesabout wanting to help in the war, Doctor Abraham Erskinedecided to meet Rogers in a secluded room where Rogers was awaiting his tests. Seeing the doctors leave the room however, Rogers became concerned that his forging of enlistment paperwork had been discovered as he quickly prepared to leave. Erskine, however, then stepped inside the room and explained that he represented the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Rogers then questioned where Erskine was from, insisting he was not troubled when Erskine revealed he was born in Germany. Erskine then asked Rogers if he wished to go overseas and kill Nazis, to which Rogers questioned if he was being tested before saying that he did not wish to kill anyone; he simply did not like bullies no matter where they were from. Impressed by this answer and all of Rogers' continued efforts to be enlisted with the United States Armed Forces, Erskine then decided to enlist Rogers as a candidate of Project Rebirth, a secret "super-soldier" experiment which was being conducted by the Strategic Scientific Reserve, telling him that this would be his chance to join the war effort in World War II, which Rogers had then enthusiastically accepted, delighted to be given the opportunity to serve. Rogers was also often mocked and bullied by the other soldiers, including Private Hodge who would kick out the structures behind him to ensure that the barbed wire fell on Rogers which he would get trapped in. However, Rogers' determination and quick thinking often made him stand out from the group, even when he was still struggling to keep up with the other soldiers physically. While out on their run under the orders of Sergeant Michael Duffy, Rogers and the other cadets were offered a ride home if they successfully took down a flag from the top of a pole, with Rogers being too tired to join the others in desperately trying to climb up the pole physically to take down the flag. and, rather than attempting to climb up the flagpole, Rogers instead simply removed the pole's support pin, allowing it to fall down before removing the flag as it lay on the grass. With that, and being the first cadet in the camp's history to successfully take the flag, Rogers gained his ride to camp in Carter's vehicle, much to the annoyance of the other soldiers who had failed to think of it. Despite all of Rogers' continued efforts to prove himself to be worthy, Colonel Phillips was unconvinced of Erskine's claims that Rogers was the right person for the Project Rebirthprocedure, still ignoring Erskine's instance that they needed to look at qualities in a subject that went beyond the physical, although Phillips claimed that Hodge was the best fit due to him being big, fast and someone who obeyed orders and was therefore the perfect soldier for them. As Erskine argued that Hodge was simply a bully, Phillips decided to demonstrate that Hodge was braver than Rogers by throwing a fake grenade at the cadets. Much to Phillips surprise, Hodge ran for his life while Rogers jumped over the grenade in order to protect his fellow soldiers from the blast that never came. Having seen Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery, Phillips finally relented to Erskine, much to his annoyance and Erskine's satisfaction. With the decision made that Rogers would be the one cadet selected to undergo Project Rebirth, Rogers was sent back into his room to await the procedure in the morning. The night before the treatment, Rogers was visited by Abraham Erskine who came with a drink, before Rogers asked him why he had been selected for the experiment as opposed to any of the other stronger potential soldiers.Erskine explained how the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler had gained all its power in Germany and how Erskine himself had been selected by Hitler to produce the perfect soldier. Erskine then revealed to Rogers that his first test subject, the Nazi officer Johann Schmidt, underwent an imperfect version of the treatment; becoming superhuman while suffering negative side-effects due to his inner ambition for power and selfish obsession with becoming a superior man. As soon as they stepped inside the main room, Rogers witnessed all of the scientists turning and looking at him, awaiting the beginning of the experiment, before Doctor Abraham Erskine greeted Rogers and Carter while Howard Stark prepped the machinery. While Rogers was instructed to remove his shirt, shoes and hat ready for them to begin their experiment, Colonel Chester Phillips was watching from a safe distance with many other various Generals and Senators. Before subjecting Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, Dr. Erskine gave a countdown and then placed a comforting hand on Rogers' shoulder before injecting him with the Super Soldier Serum which had caused Rogers considerable pain. Erskine then ordered Stark to activate the machine which lifted Rogers up in the air. Before the final stages occured, Erskine questioned how Rogers was doing, to which he simply joked if he still had time to go to the bathroom. Erskine ordered Stark to proceed as they then began dosing Rogers with large amounts of Vita Radiation. Although the treatment was extremely painful, causing Rogers to scream out in agony and almost force Erskine and Stark to shut off the reactor to save his life, Rogers demanded that the scientists to keep going regardless of his pain. Eventually, the experiment was complete and Rogers finally emerged from their experiment with a greatly enhanced physique. Just after the demonstration concluded, Erskine was shot by an attendee who as secretly an assassin working for Johann Schmidt. As the assassin fought through the soldiers in his way, he then stole the last vial of Super Soldier Serum and escaped. Rogers ran onto Erskine's aid but there was nothing he could do. Erskine pointed to Rogers' heart, reminding him of their earlier conversation, and died. Rogers chased the assassin but when he conered him and knocked him down, the vial smashed, so the assassin comitted suicide rather than face failure. Finding out he worked for HYDRA, Rogers worked once again with Barnes to find the Headqauters, which led them to a hidden mobile HYDRA base. There, Rogers finally met Johann Schmidt, who showed him his horrible mutation from trying to take the untested syrum, and then , the Red Skull shot Barnes, who fell off the railing to his presumed death, Red Skull attempted to use the Tesseract to escape abaord a HYRDRA ship, which he would use to destroy all of Amercia. To stop him, Cap snuck aboard and fought Red Skull, culminating in Red Skull being teleported away after touching the Tesseract with his own hands. To prevents the deaths of millions, Rogers put then ship into the water, but his enhancemente allowed him to survive, frozen, for Decades. The Avengers Years later, a team led by Phil Coulson found the downed HYDRA ship, with Rogers inside, frozen but alive. He was taken back to a S.H.E.I.L.D base where he awoke, and met Coulson and Nick Fury, who informed him of what had transpired in his absence. When Earth came under attack by a Chitarui army led by Loki, Rogers, along with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye became the original Avengers, and fought off the invasion, Thor capturing Loki alive and returning with him to Asgard. The Avengees were hailed as heros for saving New York from aliens. The Mind Games Following the fall of the X-Men and the deaths of both Black Bolt and Hulk at the hands of Shadelock, The Onai Warlord took over Sakaar, and used it as a massive arena, teleporting hundreds of induvidals who he viewed as threats to compete against each other, including Rogers and all the Avengers. During the early stages of fighting, Hercules, Songbird and Iron Fist were all killed, later followed by War Machine as well. After the survivors all United to escape, Cap, Stark and Wolverine led the escape after the sacrifice of M.O.D.O.K. After a deadly fight against Shadelocks forces, and the death of Wolverine, the survivors escaped off Sakaar, and , although some fled apon return, most stayed with the United allies to face off against Shadelock as he made his way back to Earth to finish the job. Shadow Wars Category:Earth-2004 Category:Versions of Captain America Category:Earth-2004 Stars Category:Deceased characters of Earth-2004